Cheapest site for photo or art mugs?

December 12, 2013 11:08 AM

I have some artwork that I want to put on coffee mugs for friends. Though I see a few DIY sites, I am not sure what resin to use to hold up in microwave so would like your recommendations on commercial sites. I may eventually do bulk orders if I decide to sell so if you have any recommendations that would be different for bulk orders, I am game for those suggestions as well. Vistaprint was around $20-25 after all was said and done. Thanks, and enjoy your weekend.
posted by snap_dragon to Shopping (9 answers total)

Cafepress.com enables you to create your own personalized mugs.
posted by seawallrunner at 11:37 AM on December 12, 2013

Yeah, check Zazzle.com too
posted by PlutoniumX at 11:38 AM on December 12, 2013

I know you already looked at Vistaprint, but if you can catch them during one of their 50% sales (which happen very frequently- I swear I get a "Huge semi-annual sale!" email from them every two weeks) or find the right coupon code, you should be able to get them down to around $7 per mug (one-sided design, small quantities) plus shipping.
posted by usonian at 11:58 AM on December 12, 2013

I bought some Vistaprint mugs with a PDF logo. The quality of the rendered art was so-so — I was expecting better results, having given them vector artwork. You get what you pay for, I guess. I might try a different vendor next time, even if it costs more. Definitely consider getting a small batch from a vendor before outlaying for a bulk purchase.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:03 PM on December 12, 2013

Best answer: Snapfish mugs are $10.99 and they frequently have 30-50 percent off coupons.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:25 PM on December 12, 2013

Quantity? What type of artwork is the file (photo, vector, etc.)?
posted by radioamy at 2:45 PM on December 12, 2013

Best answer: I order bulk mugs/glasses for my business often. We give out lots of promotional mugs/glasses. We have done orders as big as 500 mugs and as small as 24 glasses.

I think discountmugs.com is VERY hard to beat. I have tried lots of different places, and that website has the best quality / price mix. They have lots of options too: coffee mugs, beer steins, pint glasses, and more.
posted by Flood at 5:46 PM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I made custom mugs on Shutterfly and gave them as gifts 2 years ago. They are used almost daily and go through the dishwasher and microwave. Other than one that broke, all of them have held up and are not noticeably faded or worn. Look for coupon codes to save extra money.
posted by Sheppagus at 8:22 AM on December 13, 2013

My niece and nephew have been sending me links to their art on Artsonia.com where I can choose from any number of different items (mugs, shirts, bookmarks, cell phone covers, etc) with their designs on them. Mugs are on sale for 9.95 each right now.
posted by CathyG at 7:16 PM on December 13, 2013